Build-A-Device

[Smuthunter]

Because there's too many arguments and not enough FUN in this board. Use this thread to share ideas you have for devices or fanart that looks like it belongs in the hands of a mage.

For example, this kick-ass halberd/beam rifle combo from SRW OG2nd.

 

[Nanya]

Does it count if I gave Yuuno a Kamen Rider-like device named Thoth Driver in my fic?

 

[Smuthunter]

Does it count if I gave Yuuno a Kamen Rider-like device named Thoth Driver in my fic?

Sure, why not? Do you have fanart or a write-up of its specs handy or just a description of what it does? Any of those would fit.

 

[Nanya]

Hmm, well, no, it's not really a Kamen Rider-like device, since those seem to be worn on the belt, but...

Bah! This is closer to what I'm imagining...

 

[Rising Dragon]

Oh, neat idea. Here's the ID my main character in The Collared uses. Lancel's design is inspired both by Raising Heart's movie appearance, and Gundam 00's GN-Sword III.

Device Name: Lancel
Device Type: Intelligent
Primary Structure: Heavy blaster and attached sword
Storage Form: Slightly large arrowhead pendant with a green, V-shaped sensor on its front, worn from a cord wrapped around Roas' right wrist.
Appearance:

Cannon Form: Large black and silver-plated, pistol-like weapon with arm brace underneath forearm, with an oval plate on the right side set with a green interface screen. Three forward prongs in a triangular formation jut forward around a green sphere to make up its "barrel", with the upper prong longer and larger than the two lower ones. A large blade is mounted beneath it on the brace rack and can swivel up to mount in front of barrel. Hinged handle/hilt allows for positioning for Slasher Form.

Slasher Form: The blade swings up and around to the front of the barrel formation, fitting between the three prongs. The barrel can swivel about in this form, allowing Roas to alternate the form between the cannon position, keeping the blade parallel with his arm, and a traditional sword position.

Hmm, well, no, it's not really a Kamen Rider-like device, since those seem to be worn on the belt, but...

Bah! This is closer to what I'm imagining...

I call bull. Totally inaccurate, Thoth Driver is typically accompanied by a pop-up image of an embarrassing and/or compromising picture of one of the girls.

 

[Sunder the Gold]

Armed Device – JARN GRIEPR

"Iron Gripper", named after the magical gauntlets that Thor used to gain the strength necessary to wield Mjollnir. This Device is fundamentally different from Revolver Knuckle in that it is not specialized to facilitate "punching", but "grasping".

It is designed to work in conjunction with the following spells:

Grapple Bind – Combines a physical joint-lock hold or bear hug with a Binding spell for increased effectiveness. Has the major drawback of rendering the grappler incapable of most other actions.

Struggle Grip - as Struggle Bind, but executed by grabbing hold of a mage; one can cancel spells like transformation magics and prevent the casting of further spells

Sealing Grip - as Sealing, but executed by grabbing hold of a mage's Device; one can hack the Device to force a shut down, and impose access restrictions to the Device's registered user; sealed Devices may be stored in hyperspace, as Raising Heart stored Jewel Seeds. Go go, combat thievery!

Hijack Grip - an alternative to Sealing Grip; gainst non-Intelligent Devices, one can download information from them, or even steal total control.

Core Grip & Collect - allows the capture and absorption of a mage's Linker Core; as always, a strong and undamaged barrier jacket makes this trick more difficult

Spinning Break - as per Einheart's catch-and-return reflection trick

 

[Smuthunter]

One idea I've had is a stealth-specced device. Its primary function is that it emits a special brand of AMF that specifically jams magical sensors without providing any other anti-magic effects. This is then used in combination with illusion magic to make a thief or assassin-type mage. I've never been able to figure out what form it should have, though; a dagger just seems way too obvious.

 

[bhl88]

Hybrid device - Schwertkurz (Short Sword in German)

A hidden device given to those of the Yagami family
- for Neo Belka

Rocket mode: A booster attached to hilt to deal big damage at impact.

Skills compatible or partially compatible.
- Shidden Issen
- Hiyruu Issen
- Kuga
- Senkuga
- Hammerschlag
- Rakkaten Break (Rocket form concentrated on breaking weapons)
- any other spell
- Divine Buster

 

[Sunder the Gold]

One idea I've had is a stealth-specced device. Its primary function is that it emits a special brand of AMF that specifically jams magical sensors without providing any other anti-magic effects. This is then used in combination with illusion magic to make a thief or assassin-type mage. I've never been able to figure out what form it should have, though; a dagger just seems way too obvious.

A broach attached to a Cloak of Invisibility.


There's also the Tarnhelm of Germanic opera, and Hades' Helmet of Shadows.

 

[nixofcyzerra]

I'm behind on my Nanoha reading. Seeing as all devices have A.I's of varying power and intelligence, has there been a device that can "hack" them?

 

[Sunder the Gold]

I'm behind on my Nanoha reading. Seeing as all devices have A.I's of varying power and intelligence, has there been a device that can "hack" them?

Insofar as one Device can Seal the Jewel Seeds or Presea's Garden of Time reactor, which are also Devices of a sort. And neither Raising Heart or Bardiche were specialized for that sort of thing in the way that Jarn Griepr could be.


Anyway, the more intelligent a Device, the less likely any kind of Sealing would work. I don't think it's possible to seal a Unison Device, for example, so at best all you can do is place limiters on their Linker Cores.

Intelligent Devices would be merely next-to-impossible to seal, requiring that they be extremely busy and distracted, or else damaged or low on energy.

Armed Devices and military-grade Storage Devices would be very difficult to Seal.

 

[Rising Dragon]

I don't think so. Would be hard, since Devices can hack people themselves.

 

[Smuthunter]

Here's an entire pool of stuff that looks like it could be crazy device tech.

 

[lhklan]

One idea I've had is a stealth-specced device. Its primary function is that it emits a special brand of AMF that specifically jams magical sensors without providing any other anti-magic effects. This is then used in combination with illusion magic to make a thief or assassin-type mage. I've never been able to figure out what form it should have, though; a dagger just seems way too obvious.

A pair of glasses, with the trigger somewhere on the frame. Anytime that person needs to disable the sensor, he/she can just pretend they're adjusting their glasses to fool the authority.

 

[KageX]

People we are getting off track. The question you should always ask first in designing a Device is of course "What Mecha has not been ripped off yet?"

1. Wing Zero's Twin Buster Rifle (aka the upgrade Raising Heart that Nanoha was denied, as the thought of her Dual Wielding terrified everyone.)
2. The Gundam Hammer. Everyone always forgets the Gundam Hammer, and it's upgrade the Hyper Hammer which was essentially "ROCKET FLAIL!"
3. We NEED to have some Belkan character use a Zaku Heat Axe Expy, likely a group of grunts of course.
4. The Greymalk's Mother and Child Funnels used solely as a device (rather then a support like the Blaster System) would be interesting.
5. Something like the Queen Mansa, Quin Mantha, however the hell you spell it's Beam Deflection System which literally redirects incoming fire would be interesting as a defensive oriented device or technique to go with a "Funnel" type Device.
6. Valsione and Cybuster inspired "Speed Devices" would be interesting, as only Fate and Zest seem to have the whole "Ludicrously Fast by TSAB standards, and masters of close combat, with some decent ranged attacks" thing cornered.

Now let's look at some Super Robots for ideas.

 

[Smuthunter]

I've always been fond of DaiRaiOh's design. Make the suit itself something like an armor device specced for defense and then make the guy who's piloting it a balls-out maniac who never stops attacking because his device covers 90% of his body, then watch him plow his way through every defense you put in front of him like a mack truck with a hyperdrive.

 

[Rising Dragon]

I've never really been fond of the idea of full-body Devices myself, given the whole barrier jacket concept.

 

[KageX]

I've always been fond of DaiRaiOh's design. Make the suit itself something like an armor device specced for defense and then make the guy who's piloting it a balls-out maniac who never stops attacking because his device covers 90% of his body and plows his way through every defense you put in front of him.

I wholeheartedly approve of this idea.

Here is something, we know that since Signum is a Lamia Expy and combines traits of Vysaga and Angelg. But we don't have an Ash Saber type device yet. For some reason "remote" devices just intrigue me. Likely because having just recently watched the A's Movie which gave Durandal it's own "Blaster System" I am intrigued as to how expanding on the idea would work.

But back to Super Robots Expies, how do you think a Big O Expy would work, other then being ponderously slow, but a fucking armored beast that can tear anything that get's close a new one, and has ranged attacks that make Nanoha look subtle? And of course the whole "moves fast by using chains to pull it in a direction" thing. I am sue I am missing something there.

Here are some more ideas.

As I was saying before a Cybuster inspired "Speed Device" might be interesting, but I think we can all agree that a Granzon inspired device is just to damned broken to even consider.

An Ausseinreitter inspired device would likely be the lovechild of Subaru and Teana's devices. And might give Subaru "ideas".

I am sure that I am missing some other very obvious things, but I need to go to sleep soon. Hopefully I can come up with more later.

But I will say this, the whole "Zaku Heat Axe" device idea as one issued to Belkan Foot Soldiers is really sticking with me. I wonder what the best way to work that one out is?

Edit: Full Body Devices were likely something more prevalent before the TSAB was established, as they could also incorporate Mass Weapons into their design, and might even have been able to switch them out via hardpoints. It's no wonder such innovations would fall to the wayside due to the whole "Mass Weapons Ban" thing, but criminals might still use them.

 

[Smuthunter]

I've never really been fond of the idea of full-body Devices myself, given the whole barrier jacket concept.

That's the beauty of it, you have layered defenses. Whatever material it is that devices are made of it has to be extraordinarily tough stuff to withstand the kind of stresses that come from, say, two S-rank knights having a swordfight. So you have a layer of device armor for physical defense, your barrier jacket is a jumpsuit or something that you wear under it so the armor doesn't chafe and because it doesn't need to handle physical defense you can spec it for magic defenses and g-force protection and everything else that barrier jackets help with. With no extra work you now have a high-defense build with lots of surface area for the device so you can pack in lots of extra features like the cartridge system, or extra chunks of plate that fall off and transform into blaster bits when you mode shift and all kinds of neat stuff like that.

 

[lhklan]

I would like to see Dygenguard/Grungust 3 Zankantou become a Device.

 

[Smuthunter]

I would like to see Dygenguard/Grungust 3 Zankantou become a Device.

Bardiche's Zanber form already has you covered there.

 

[Hoki]

A full body device? Doesn't that sound familiar?

You know like the Iron Man suit.

 

[Nanya]

Well, I did have the Knight Valkyrie Armor, which Raising Heart was a part of at one point in its existence.

 

[Smuthunter]

A full body device? Doesn't that sound familiar?

You know like the Iron Man suit.

Mecha musume is the original idea. Take a Gundam, turn it into power armor, give the girl who's wearing it a scaled-down shield and beam rifle. Doesn't work for every design because some have lots of built-in weapons that would be replaced by spells with a proper device.

 

[Kireen]

Oh, well, sounds fun, here's one of mines.

Name: Not decided yet. (probaly Geist Jager)
Type: Intelligent/Armed hybrid.
Forms (Don't have time to clean and scan my designs.):
Stand By: a silver ring with black engravings.
Gunner form: looks like this x4 (Two always hidden.)
Blade form: Handle straightens, barrel disappear completely and the blade move in it's place extending, transforming into a sigle edged sowrd.
Full Drive: not decided yet, I was thinking of just adding 2 to four bits.
Selling points: good in close to mid range combat, high casting speed for low level spells.
Defects: long casting time for powerfull spells, can be trick to reload if cornered.

I made it for an OC of mine that was born into an Old Belkan family and was trained in the family sword style regardless of his personal talents. Once he was halfway done with his official TSAB training his instructor found out that he was more suited for shooting magic, but since he was already too used to the family style, he needed to find a compromise between his habits and his true talent.

And that's where the device came in, the gunner form can booth be used to shoot or as a swordbreaker/dagger, and the blade form can be used for the OC former fighting style.

The four parts are indipendent, and the user can play around freely with the forms, the purpose of the additional two parts is for quick reload, it's just needed to dismiss an empty one to call a fully loaded one. The real problem is than if all the pre-loaded cartridges are used a free hand is needed to reload one part at time.